BROWSE

WernerH.Gumpertz

1917 - 2017Werner Herbert Gumpertz of West Newton, Massachusetts died on Friday, December 1, 2017. He passed peacefully while holding his wife Susan's hand and surrounded by his family. Werner grew up in Germany as the son of the late Richard and Olga Gumpertz and older brother of the late Gerard "Gerry" Gumpertz. He immigrated to the United States in 1940 and went on to serve as a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer in World World II. Werner later attended MIT, where he earned his bachelor's, master's, and advanced engineering degrees and joined the Department of Building Engineering and Construction as an instructor. He also met his colleagues Howard Simpson and Frank Heger at MIT, with whom Werner would build Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH)-a celebrated multinational engineering firm. Werner married the late Elizabeth "Betty" Gumpertz in 1949 and shared fifty years of happy marriage until Betty's death in 1999. They purchased a two-family house in West Newton in 1951, which would become Werner's lifelong home. Werner and Betty had two children-Richard Gumpertz and Ruth (Gumpertz) Moses. Rick had two daughters-Katie and Valerie, and Ruth had two daughters-Beckie and Samantha. In 2000, Werner got a second chance at love with Susan Connors. They were married until his death and shared a rich life filled with family, friends, and travel. Werner left an indelible mark on each person he touched and his absence will never cease to be felt.